Blindfolded 27-Year-Old Falls to Her Death During Meditation Retreat at Beijing's Longquan Temple

A 27-year-old graduate of Tsinghua University fell to her death while blindfolded during a meditation retreat at Beiing's Longquan Temple, according to The Beijing News.

The woman was participating in an outing where she and her associates were ascending a steep staircase hand-in-hand while blindfolded.

The accident happened on December 13 on a meditation retreat at the temple. During one portion of the retreat, the group was being led on a "blind Zen" exercise where they were led blindfolded and hand-in-hand up and down some stairs at a five-story building inside the temple grounds. The stairway has a railing a half-meter high and at places is 14 meters from the ground.

At one point on the journey the woman fell off a portion of the stairs with a low railing.

The Haidian Public Securirty Bureau is currently investigating but currently does not suspect foul play.

The temple, located in Haidian, was most recently in the news in October with its development of a "robo-monk" that dispels simple Buddhist doctrines among tech-savvy followers seeking enlightenment.

The woman worked for a geography magazine in Beijing, the report said.

Temple representatives indicated that the event was not organized by the temple itself and appeared to be self-organized by a group of friends or coworkers.

Photos: Beijing News